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Thread: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

  1. #1

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    Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Should an older front element surface be cleaned the same way a modern lens is cleaned: blower, brush and then lens paper/fluid? Are older coatings more delicate?

  2. #2

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Right or wrong, I’ve done that without damaging a lens but now I use microfiber cloths.

    Mostly, though, I don’t clean lenses unless absolutely necessary.

  3. #3

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Quote Originally Posted by Arcus View Post
    Should an older front element surface be cleaned the same way a modern lens is cleaned: blower, brush and then lens paper/fluid? Are older coatings more delicate?
    Throw out the lens paper and get a good micro fiber cloth and use and wash it per the directions.

  4. #4

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    ROR mist and cotton balls works fine. ROR is "Residual Oil Remover".
    ” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.

  5. #5
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    I've used ROR for a very long time, and it's very good, but this is even better: https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/puros...cleaner/12946/
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  6. #6

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    No love for Zeiss wipes?

  7. #7

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Proper technique is more important than materials. I use more solvent and less pressure. I lay the lens so the surface is horizontal. Put 1-2 drops of cleaning fluid on the center. Do not let any run under the mount edges. Lay a 2" piece of cleaning cloth (I've used several types of them, currently an old silk shirt) onto the drop of liquid. Do not press down with your fingers! Just let the surface tension of the solvent hold the wipe. Grab the edge of the wipe, turn the lens with your other hand. let the very wet wipe spiral to the outside one time. Throw it away and repeat with new drops and new wipe. This will loosen any surface grit that could scratch if you use any pressure, and move it to the edge or onto the wipe. After 3-5 times, you should be able to inspect the glass. At this point, there may be smudges still, but no grit. Now use another clean wipe (you always want to use a fresh one with no dirt for each pass) and drops, and perhaps gentle pressure. Done.
    Last edited by goamules; 24-May-2019 at 06:15.

  8. #8

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Activated charcoal, available at health food store. Dip Q-tip in it, shake off excess and lightly apply it in concentric circles. No liquid to seep under edge of lens,and it makes lenses sparkle - no scratches.

  9. #9

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Quote Originally Posted by goamules View Post
    Proper technique is more important than materials. I use more solvent and less pressure. I lay the lens so the surface is horizontal. Put 1-2 drops of cleaning fluid on the center. Do not let any run under the mount edges. Lay a 2" piece of cleaning wipe (I've used several types of them, currently an old silk shirt) onto the drop of liquid. Do not press down with your fingers! Just let the surface tension of the solvent hold the wipe. Grab the edge of the wipe, turn the lens with your other hand. let the very wet wipe spiral to the outside one time. Throw it away and repeat with new drops and new wipe. This will loosen any surface grit that could scratch if you use any pressure, and move it to the edge or onto the wipe. After 3-5 times, you should be able to inspect the glass. At this point, there may be smudges still, but no grit. Now use another clean wipe (you always want to use a fresh one with no dirt for each pass) and drops, and perhaps gentle pressure. Done.
    Removing surface grit this way will result in scratches, maybe very small ones but scratches.
    Blow surface first with a really good blaster like the Rocket Blaster before touching the lens with any material. Especially material that will absorb the moisture into the material itself! The secret to micro fiber cloth is that any dirt, dust, grease, etc. on the lens will be held in the weave of the cloth and will not be absorbed into the material itself. That is why you can simply wash the cloth clean.

  10. #10

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    Re: Old(er) lens cleaning best practices?

    Quote Originally Posted by BrianShaw View Post

    Mostly, though, I don’t clean lenses unless absolutely necessary.

    +1

    For many years I shot a Contax 35mm camera with 5 Zeiss lenses. I kept UV filters on my lenses all the time. Whenever I came home from a shoot I'd blow the dust off the filters with a blower brush, wipe off the lens barrels and only clean the filter if something had gotten on it. After I got into large format, I sold my lenses on eBay and got top dollar. The buyers couldn't believe how nice they were. All the coatings were perfect. Even the UV filters looked fantastic. One fellow even contacted me and asked me how I cleaned my lenses.

    I never noticed any degradation from using the Contax filters. A friend of mine always takes the clear filter off the lens before each shot and then immediately replaces it. It's easy for him to do since all he photographs are landscapes.

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